Forbes names Linfield College one of nation’s top schools

Linfield College was named one of the nation’s “Top Colleges” by Forbes. Four Oregon schools, including Linfield, were included in the top 200 institutions that serve undergraduates.

Linfield College also placed 167 among private U.S. colleges, and was highly ranked on quality of teaching and student satisfaction. The school offers small classes with caring professors, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 12:1.

Schools were ranked as well on prestigious awards and scholarships. Linfield is one of the country’s top producers of Fulbright scholars and one of only 16 schools nationwide affiliated with the prestigious Kemper Scholarship Program.

Other criteria included post-graduate success, debt load and default rates, and four-year graduation rates. The rankings of more than 600 schools with Carnegie classifications were prepared for Forbes by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity in Washington, D.C.

Linfield is recognized for its liberal arts and sciences curriculum along with its professional programs, with The Princeton Reviewand US News & World Report naming Linfield one of the top five liberal arts schools in Oregon and Washington. This year the small college has drawn students from 29 states and 24 countries.

Half of Linfield graduates have studied outside the U.S., with the school in 21st place in the nation for participation in study abroad programs.

Linfield has a strong commitment to social responsibility and has been nationally recognized for sustainability initiatives, student outreach to disadvantaged youth and the homeless, and support of low-income, first-generation college students.

The college offers 47 majors and enrolls more than 2,600 students through three programs: a residential liberal arts and sciences program on the McMinnville campus, nursing and health science programs in Portland, and the Adult Degree Program, which supports students at eight Oregon sites and serves a virtual learning community across the globe. Established in 1858, Linfield helped pioneer higher education in the Pacific Northwest.